Big Uncles, Bigger Hearts
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Sage is feeling down over what happened on Anur Transyl. Can his girlfriend and two gentle giants help him out of his slump? Co-written with Redbat132 and Steelcode. :)


****Another collaboration between Redbat132, Steelcode, and myself. Here you go, Amigos! :) Enjoy! :) ****

****Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. Sage belongs to Steelcode. Macy and Tommy belong to Redbat132. I only own Angel, Sasha, Courtney, and Rachel.****

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****Big Uncles, Bigger Hearts****

Macy returned from another day from college. As she entered inside the Grant Mansion, she saw her little brother, Tommy, pacing around anxiously.

"Hey, Tommy. How is he?" She asked with concern.

"Not well. He hasn't eaten anything all day and has been moping around in the living room," he answered, really worried. "Macy, I'm worried about him."

The Brunette sighed. It's been about two weeks since their trip to Anur Transyl. Sage broke his leg and now was stuck in his wolf form until it healed completely. To say the least, he didn't seem happy about being benched for so long. But Macy and Tommy kept visiting, trying to help cheer the Shapeshifter up. Unfortunately, with every passing day, Sage became more depressed and distant. It seemed harder when Macy kept going on patrols without him. Not to mention rescheduling on dates, especially with Sage in wolf form.

"Thanks for telling me this, little brother. I'll take it from here," Macy assured, accepting a hug from the boy before heading inside the living room. "Sage, you in here?" She called out.

The shapeshifter was laying on the floor with two of the toddlers bouncing on his back, trying to get their horsey to move. Sighing heavily, Sage gave a slight roll, sending the kids tumbling against his furry side and the piled-up blankets. The little girls laughed and giggled before crawling over to a flashing guitar toy.

Looking up, he soon spotted Macy and, after giving another small sigh, laid his head back down onto the large couch pillow.

"Hey, buddy. Doing okay with that leg of yours?" She softy asked, walking over to sit next to him. She hated seeing her wolf look like this.

"Oh, I'm Jim Dandy," he said sarcastically with a huff.

Macy sighed. "Sage, I know it's hard to wait for your leg to heal and be trapped in your wolf form, but you shouldn't skip eating meals because of that. You'll only cause more problems with yourself," she reasoned.

He huffed again, getting to his feet before slowly limping away towards the office, pushing a ball away with his paw as he moved past. With head and tail hung low, the wolf looked like a kicked puppy, his ears to the side as he limped out of view.

"They don't understand." He thought to himself.

"Sage, wait! Come back!" Macy exclaimed, going after him.

He sighed and stopped, looking back slightly annoyed. "Yes?" He said.

"Tommy, along with the others in the Grant Mansion and myself, are worried about you. We're trying to help cheer you up and you're just acting like a real jerky doggie by shutting us down. And some of us are getting real annoyed with your harsh attitude," Macy said, folding her arms on that last part, trying to keep her tone level, but it wasn't easy.

"Great, but here's the problem. I'm not doing my job either as a brother or as a boyfriend or as part of this family. My cousin, Courtney, got bullied yesterday when going to the library which I was supposed to go with her, but here I am stuck here." Sage growled angrily.

"You need to rest and stay here, if you wanna get better," Macy reasoned, trying not to sound mad. "You should have asked me to do it. Or someone else as your replacement. We're a big family, Sage. Family is supposed to help each other out. And right now, you have to lay low and try to eat something."

He growled again. "Look, Macy, I'm sorry about being difficult, but I just got this family and seeing them hurt and seeing you get kissed by Transyl, Andy and Marcus caught, hearing Zs'Skayr call Tommy a pet, it just shows how much I've been slacking off and that's all on me."

"Uh, not really," she begged to differ. "None of us were expecting any of that. You still saved all of us in the end and the earth from being transformed into another Anur Transyl. So, I wouldn't be calling it slacking. Just a lot more than we can chew. The only slacking you've been doing is what you keep giving me. Now quit whining like a spoiled puppy already!"

Sage growled before moving down the hall a little faster, annoyed with the situation.

"Hey! Don't you go storming out of here! I am talking to,-" Macy started while moving faster to catch up, only to trip on a dump truck toy on the ground. "Whoa!"

The last thing Sage saw was Macy going back and smashing into a wall before he fell down.

**_**YELP!**_**

Looking up, Macy gasped to see a trap door from the ground opened. Sage must have fallen in, somehow.

"SAGE!" Panicking, she dived head first to the trapdoor, only to end up sliding down a slide on her stomach. She felt like this was a long way down. Just when she saw an opening, she reacted fast by flipping forward to land on her feet during that drop. "Phew. That was fun. Sage! Where are you?" The Brunette called out.

Sage grumbled. "Down here," he said.

Macy looked down and saw she had landed square on top of Sage's back where the wolf was sprawled out on a large bed.

"Oh, oops! Sorry, Buddy! You okay?" Macy asked, getting off him while crouching down. Somehow, she was getting a slight déjà vu of where she and Sage were.

Sage growled as he got to his feet before looking around. "It's fine." He growled. "Where are we? Why is there a slide to...what, the basement?"

"Wait a minute...I recognized this place," the teen girl said, looking around and seeing the large bed. It got her remembering when she and her brother came back to Staybrook and now live here. "We must be in the To'Kustar caves underneath the mansion! Which means...,"

"Brother, I think we have guests." A large voice said.

Sage stared in horror as two giants with fins on their heads came into view. One was read and white while the other was red, blue, and white.

"Way Big, it's Macy! And I believe a new friend," the red, blue, and white one said, smiling.

Sage didn't really remember what happened next. All he remembered was running and leaping, then searing pain.

"Sage!" Macy screamed as she watched him launch off the bed before hearing a loud crack and seeing Sage's eyes roll upward as he started falling, his limbs going limp, especially his back leg from putting too much weight on it.

Quickly, Way Big caught the wolf, looking worried. "Bro, you better get the first aid kit and some ice packs," he said.

Nodding, the taller giant at once did so while Way Big gently placed Sage back on the bed and Macy began stroking her wolf's fur, looking worried. "Macy, it's okay," the red and white giant soothed. "I can hear his heart and breathing. He's just passed out, that's all."

She sniffled and took a deep breath, looking up at her friend. "Can you and your brother help him?" She asked.

"We will," Ultimate Way Big said, gently rubbing Macy's shoulders with his pointer finger before they got to work on helping the shapeshifter.

* * *

Sage didn't know how long he had been out. As he was coming to however, he found the comfort of someone stroking his back from the base of his head to the base of his tail. The pain was gone and only the feeling of being tired and hungry remained. Opening his eyes slowly, he took in his surroundings and found he was laying on something large and white near what looked like a red wall.

"How are you feeling, cub?" A large, familiar sounding voice asked. Sage gulped before raising his head and finding himself in the smaller giant's palm while one of its white fingers continued to stroke his back.

"Did I hear my favorite wolf awake?" A familiar female voice was heard.

Sage looked behind him, finding Macy in the hand of the other giant as the two walked in with a large pot that the giant set on a massive table. The shifter lay frozen as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"Don't be afraid, Sage, we won't harm you." The giant holding him cooed as he gently rubbed a little more behind his head.

"Yeah, relax, Wolf Boy. These are your big uncles who live underneath the Grant Mansion," Macy explained, smiling. "The one holding you is Way Big, and the bigger version behind me is his older brother, Ultimate Way Big. They're To'Kustars."

Sage looked at the two giants. "My uncles?" Sage asked, still trying to wrap his head around all of this.

Ultimate Way Big smiled. "Yes, we're your uncles and we've been anxiously awaiting to meet you," he said, his voice kind.

"Macy, Tommy, Rachel, Sasha, and Whampire have been telling us all about you and we hoped you would come down soon. Especially after we've been hearing how well you handle our little niece, Angel." Way Big said smiling.

"Angel?" Sage replied, remembering the small toddler that he had watched from time to time, but that baby was no bigger than any other toddler.

"Who's Angel?" Macy asked.

"Angel is a young To'Kustar, our sister's daughter. Every now and again, Rachel watches her and sometimes Sage does too, from our understanding," Way Big said, smiling

Sage nodded. "Yeah, but she's no bigger than a normal toddler...how?" He asked, confused at how a baby alien that was from a race of giants was so small.

Ultimate Way Big smiled. "We all have bracelets that allow us to be your size so we can visit the upper parts of the Mansion," he said. "Rachel and Sasha's uncles came up with them."

"Wait...You guys had size-changing bracelets this entire time and never said anything?!" Macy exclaimed.

Way Big chuckled. "Well, you never asked," he said teasingly.

Ultimate Way Big laughed as Sage chuckled at seeing the look on Macy's face.

She sighed while facepalming. "I'm so glad Tommy isn't here. If he had his hands on one of those bracelets, I don't know what kind of trouble he'll cause as a giant. Or an ant," she said.

Way Big smiled. "We make sure to keep them locked up, just in case one of the other kids accidently comes down and we accidently leave them out," he said reassuringly.

Sage relaxed a little more but stiffened up when his stomach made itself known.

Ultimate Way Big smiled. "Someone's hungry," he said.

Sage huffed and laid his head down, trying to ignore the pain in his stomach.

"He's been skipping meals because he's depressed about not helping others with a broken leg," the teen girl explained. "Been a real stubborn puppy for the past few weeks."

Ultimate Way Big and Way Big looked concernedly at Sage.

"Sage, you can't not eat. How are your wounds going to heal without fuel to keep them going?" Way Big asked, turning to the table and gently setting Sage on top of it.

Sage sighed. "Look, I just...I just can't...," he said looking down as he began to shiver a little.

"Sage, please! You're starting to grow weak. You need your strength and energy." Macy said, growing more concerned, wondering why her wolf was acting like this.

Sage shook his head. "Not supposed to eat. Didn't...didn't do my job...didn't win...," he whimpered as he began to get caught in a flashback.

During Sage's past, his father would only feed him if he won as many as five fights a night. It was also during the times he didn't win that he was punished and tormented harder.

Macy groaned before facepalming again, realizing what was going on. "That explains it. Sage, you're not with your lumberjack dad anymore. You're with a new and better family. If Whampire was here, he would want you to eat. Win or lose, you shouldn't beat yourself up," she said, now really worried about him.

Sage whimpered a little more, shivering slightly. "Didn't earn...didn't win...," he said, laying down again.

Ultimate Way Big had a sinking feeling. "Macy, correct me if I'm wrong, but from what you and Sage are saying, his biological father abused him?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah," she said. "And unless I miss my guess, Sage is somewhat caught in a flashback, feeling that because he didn't 'win' the battle due to his injured leg and for not being there for his cousins, he doesn't deserve to eat." She shook her head. "I should have realized it."

"Don't blame yourself, Macy," Way Big said gently. "It's not your fault."

She gave him a grateful look while Ultimate Way Big looked thoughtfully at Sage and then at the pot of stew. "Hmmm, I have an idea," he said.

Carefully taking his nephew in hand, the larger giant ladled out some of the stew into a bowl before sitting down and bringing a large spoonful of stew up to Sage's mouth.

"Come on, Wolf Boy. Eat up." Macy said, realizing what the large giant had in mind and she was hoping his plan would work.

Sage whimpered as he smelled the stew in front of him, but didn't move otherwise.

"Sage, if you eat one bite, you earn another bite," Ultimate Way Big said calmly, rubbing Sage's throat as he hoped the promise would get the boy to eat.

Opening his eyes, a little more, Sage leaned forward and carefully lapped at the broth before accepting the spoon full of food.

"Good job. Now you've earned another bite and if you eat that, you get the whole bowl," Ultimate Way Big said soothingly, relieved that his plan had worked.

"It's working," Macy quietly said with excitement, looking at Way Big, who smiled and nodded.

Sage ate the next spoonful and, with Ultimate Way Big's help, soon stood on a table as he wolfed down the stew, his appetite and hunger revealing themselves.

"That's it. Eat all you want, we have plenty," Way Big said happily as he watched Sage eat.

Macy chuckled at the sight of her boyfriend finally eating. "Glad you're having some food. Is it okay if I have some too?" She asked, feeling a bit hungry herself and the stew smelled delicious.

Way Big chuckled. "We hoped you'd ask. We made a little too much for just the two of us." Way Big rested a bowl in front of her. "Enjoy."

"Thank you, guys," Macy said, grabbing a spoon before chowing down. "Mmm! This is great!"

The two giants smiled at seeing the girl enjoying the stew and at seeing their nephew finally eating.

A while later, Sage laid down on top of the table, licking his chops and paws from his meal. However, after being sure he was clean, his ears went back sadly.

"I'm...I'm sorry," he whispered, barely audible.

"Did you say something, Sage?" Macy asked, too busy eating another stew bowl, but had thought she heard him say something.

Sage gulped before raising his head. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

"If it's about being a jerky doggie, I already forgot about it during my first bowl," Macy replied, definitely in a better mood with this stew. "Mmmm, so good!"

Sage raised a wolf eye ridge at that. "Macy, I was completely being a donkey's butt and after a bowl of stew, you forgive me?" He asked her, cocking an eyebrow in surprise.

"Eh. Not my first mope fest to deal with. Besides, it will take more than lack of food plus hunger to push me away. And I've known you long enough that you wouldn't act like that unless there's a reason," Macy explained, sipping more stew. "Also, the To'Kustar Brothers make the best stew ever! Could I possibly trouble you guys for the recipe to give to my mom?"

"Of course," Ultimate Way Big said, typing a few buttons on the computer and sending the recipe to Macy's phone.

"Thanks," she said happily.

Sage stared at Macy in disbelief. That was it? She wasn't angry, but why wasn't she yelling at him?

"Sage, you might want to shut your jaws before you start catching flies." Way Big said, chuckling.

Sage instantly shut his mouth then looked down at his leg, noticing his cast color was different.

"What? When?" He asked as he tried to figure out when his bandage could have been changed.

Way Big chuckled. "When you tried to attack us, you passed out because your cast cracked. While you were out, big brother and I redid your cast. Your leg is fine, though, at least one more week then it's off. You'll still have to take it easy though," he said gently.

"That's what I've been telling him," Macy spoke, slurping more stew. "But he's too stubborn to be patient. Nearly as bad as me."

"Sage, you're close to being back on your feet. If you can relax, then you'll heal faster and what could normally take two weeks could be down to one," Ultimate Way Big said with a smile.

Sage looked at him questioningly.

"Keep explaining to him. He's lost," the Brunette said, trying not to chuckle at her boyfriend's expression.

Way Big continued where his brother left off. "Frankenstrike told us that you heal better when you're resting, and you're moving around has made it harder to heal. He said that if you relaxed for a week, you'd be back on your feet and able to change back after that week," he said gently.

Sage looked surprised, but his tail wagged happily. A week was a week, but at least it wasn't a month.

"So, if you'd just stayed resting, you could have been better earlier. Instead of panicking around, acting like a real jerky pup to not just me and everyone around you, but also yourself. And all it took was meeting two giant aliens. Heh, who knew?" The Brunette smirked, already finishing what was left of the stew by slurping from her bowl.

Sage chuckled. "Eh, you know what they say: the bigger the family member, the bigger the heart. Oh, and Macy, might not want to eat another bowl or Tommy is going to be calling you Pudgy Rebel," he said, laughter in his eyes as he wagged his tail.

The Brunette scoffed before throwing the bowl at Sage while smirking. "You take that back, Mopey Mutt!" She playfully scolded, knowing he was only teasing her.

The wolf smirked again. "Make me, Vladat Kisser," he said as his eyes narrowed playfully.

"Oh, ho, ho! You just asked for trouble now! Get over here, you Wacky Wolf!" Macy chuckled, now lunging at him.

Sage barked as he was tackled, but he was ready. After landing on his back, he rolled to his stomach pinning Macy beneath him where, after moving her shirt up with his back paw, he started wiggling his tail in her stomach.

"EEEEK! Sage, no! Don't!" Macy managed to say while holding her laughter, her body quivering. If there was one thing she hated when it comes to getting tickled, it was very soft, light objects being touched around her sensitive skin.

"Tell me, who was supposed to pin who?" Sage asked playfully as he wagged his tail over her belly button, watching as Macy broke into heavy laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHAHAHAHAP! GET OFF MEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!" She shrieked, squirming while trying to push the wolf off her during a few giggling fits.

"Nope. Not until you say 'I'm the best boyfriend in the world and not a mopey wolf'," he said, smiling as he leaned down and starting licking behind Macy's ears and on her neck.

"AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, NO WAHAHAHAHAHAHAY! NOT AFTER-HEEHEEHEEHEEHEE-WHAT YOU DID-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-TO ME!" The Brunette refused, still trapped in her own laughs.

"Alright, I gave you a chance to get out of it." Sage said smiling before looking up at his uncles. "Can you guys help me out? Her spots are her feet, underarms and shoulder blades. I got her well pinned."

Way Big chuckled as he went over to nightstand and picked up two fluffy white feathers. "We are well prepared," he said.

"That we are." Ultimate Way Big said as he took off Macy's jacket, socks and shoes.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle," the two To'Kustar brothers said before running the feathers over Macy's tickle spots.

Now Macy was cornered. Her laughter was quadrupled, unable to escape. "NO, NOT THE FEATHERS! NOT THE FEATHERS! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAKE THEM STAHAHAHAHAHAP!" She begged, tears escaping with her cheeks nearly turning a shade of pink.

Sage chuckled as he continued his work on her stomach and neck. "Do what I said and we'll stop," he bargained with her, though was watching her to make sure she didn't pass out.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, OKAY, YOU WIHIHIHIN! YOU'RE THE BEHEHEHEHEST BOYFRIEND IN THE WORLD-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-NOT A MOHOHOHOHOHOHOPEY WOLF!" She scream-laughed, now her cheeks becoming rosy red.

He smiled and gave a large lick over her cheek. "Love you," he said.

Way Big and Ultimate Way Big stopped the tickle torture, both smiling and chuckling.

Once it was over, Macy tried to catch her breath while sitting up. "Why...am I...the one who ends up getting tickled every time I keep coming to this crazy mansion?!" She managed to ask.

Sage smiled, giving her another lick. "Maybe because your just so much fun to tickle," he said.

Macy growled, giving her shapeshifter a cold glare. "It's not fun for me! I can't get a break!" She complained, folding her arms while turning her head away.

Sage nuzzled her. "Come on, you know you like it. Besides, you and I are always tied."

Macy rolled her eyes while light pushing Sage away from her and standing up. "Whatever you say, Sage," she said, still not changing her mood.

Ultimate Way Big gently poked her side, making her jump with a small squeak. "Tickling happens every day here," he said with a smile. "It's our way of bonding."

"And promising to always be there for each other," Way Big said, resting one finger lightly on Macy's shoulder. "Even tough kids need to loosen up now and again. Just ask Ben."

She shook her head. "You guys are really something else," she said. "Just please don't tickle me every time you see me."

Ultimate Way Big chuckled. "We'll only tickle you when you need it," he promised.

Macy groaned again. "Why doesn't that reassure me?" She asked, making them chuckle again.

Sage rubbed into her side before taking a large yawn that showed his teeth, indicating his tiredness.

Way Big chuckled. "How about you two catch a power nap with us?" He said.

Ultimate Way Big gently scooped the two up and led them to the bed, carefully laying them down on the pillows before the two brothers climbed onto the bed.

"I appreciate the offer, guys, but I'm not tired," Macy said, holding back a yawn.

Sage gently grabbed her wrist and, with a slight tug, pulled her down onto the pillow with her head and upper body landing on his side.

"A nap never hurt anyone," he said, nuzzling her.

In the Brunette's opinion, the giant pillow and Sage's fur were a relaxing combination. It was making her sleepier and sleepier.

"Well...I suppose I can take a little rest," she said, unable to fight off another audible yawn.

Sage nuzzled her again, giving a comforting growl as he settled down.

"We'll let you know when dinner is ready." Way Big said smiling as he and his brother began rubbing the two teen's backs.

That made the Brunette relax more, with her eyes growing heavy. Although it slightly tickled, she didn't mind because the giants were being gentle. Within seconds, Macy was already sleeping peacefully.

Sage smiled before laying his head down. "Thank you, Uncle Bigs," he said, closing his eyes.

Way Big and Ultimate Way Big chuckled before smiling. "Your welcome, Sage. Get some rest."

No sooner had Way Big said that Sage was asleep, his head resting on Macy's lap, feeling ready for a good long rest. Nodding, Ultimate Way Big sent Rachel a text to let her know that the two teens were down in their quarters resting and had eaten lunch. She sent a reply back saying she had been wondering where they were and was pleased that the boy had eaten something as she, Sasha, and Whampire had been worried about his lack of appetite.

Way Big watched over the two teens with a smile as he saw the peaceful looks on their faces as they were deep in dreamland.

* * *

**Merry Christmas, everyone! :) **

**Please leave Redbat132, Steelcode, and myself a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


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